Monthly Archives: November 2013

I know that Thanksgiving Holiday is coming up and everyone is getting anxious and excited to chow down on tons of food. I have a sweet, special recipe for you to use. The one thing a lot of people look forward to eating is the holiday turkey. Here’s a sweet recipe that’ll add so much flavor to your Thanksgiving.

Preparation:

Refrigerate the turkey until after the brine is prepared.

To prepare the brine, combine the vegetable stock, kosher salt, brown sugar, molasses, rosemary, thyme, sage, allspice, bay leaves, and black pepper in a large stockpot. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer until sugar and salt have dissolved. Remove the pot from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

When the brine has cooled, add the water and ice. Then, place the turkey breast-side-down into brine and refrigerate for 16-20 hours.

Remove the turkey from brine, drain the liquid (especially the excess that accumulated in the cavity) and pat dry with paper towels.

To prepare the turkey, position an oven rack on the lowest setting. (You may have to remove the other racks depending on your oven size.) Preheat to 325°F.

Place the turkey breast-side up into a large roasting pan. Brush some of the melted butter under the skin of the turkey, then brush the remaining butter over the outside. Lightly season the bird, inside and out, with salt and pepper.

Stuff the turkey with the carrot, onion, and celery. Tie the drumsticks together with kitchen string and tuck the wings underneath the bird. Roast the turkey for 3-1/2 to 4 hours (depending on the size) and baste with stock every half hour. Place a foil tent on top of the turkey if it’s browning too quickly.

While the turkey is roasting, whisk together all the ingredients for the glaze in a small bowl; set aside.

At the end of the roasting time, insert a meat thermometer into the meatiest part of the turkey thigh. If it reads 180°F, it’s done. Let the turkey rest for 20-30 minutes before carving. Drizzle the glaze on top just before serving.

We all love chicken. At least I hope most people do. There is so much you can do with it. I know I am a huge fan of chicken. Not only fried chicken but baked chicken too. This week I’m going to post chicken, chicken and more chicken. First I’m going to start off with the Honey Garlic Chicken with a lot of crunch to it.

Place the chicken breasts between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and using a meat mallet, pound the meat to an even 1/2 inch thickness. Alternatively, you can slice the breasts by placing them flat on a cutting board and using a very sharp knife to slice them into halves horizontally.

Sift together the flour, salt, black pepper, ground ginger, nutmeg, thyme, sage paprika and cayenne pepper. NOTE: This flour and spice dredge mix is sufficient for two batches of this chicken recipe. You can store the leftover mix in a Ziploc bag in the freezer for the next time you make this recipe…and there will be a next time.

Make an egg wash by whisking together the eggs and water.

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, then dip the meat in the flour and spice mixture. Dip the breast into the eggwash and then a final time into the flour and spice mix, pressing the mix into the meat to get good contact.

Heat a skillet on the stove with about a half inch of canola oil covering the bottom. You will want to carefully regulate the temperature here so that the chicken does not brown too quickly. The thinness of the breast meat practically guarantees that it will be fully cooked by the time the outside is browned. I find just below medium heat works well. I use a burner setting of about 4 1/2 out of 10 on the dial and fry them gently for about 4 or 5 minutes per side until golden brown and crispy.

Drain on a wire rack for a couple of minutes before dipping the cooked breasts into the Honey Garlic Sauce. Serve with noodles or rice.

To make the Honey Garlic Sauce:

In a medium saucepan add the 2 tbsp olive oil and minced garlic. Cook over medium heat to soften the garlic but do not let it brown.

Add the honey, soy sauce and black pepper.

Simmer together for 5-10 minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. Watch this carefully as it simmers because it can foam up over the pot very easily.

In a small bowl combine the BBQ sauce, pineapple juice, lime juice, cilantro, salt and pepper and mix well to combine.

Toss the chicken with half of the BBQ sauce. Grill the chicken for 6 to 8 minutes per side or until cooked through. At the same time grill the slices of pineapple and the half of an onion for about 4 minutes per side or until charred. Allow everything to cool five minutes and then chop the pineapple into bite size pieces, dice the onion and chop the chicken or shred with a fork. Set aside.

While the chicken is cooling make the pineapple-mango guacamole. Mash the avocados (I left mine pretty chunky, but go as chunky or smooth as you want) in a medium size bowl. Add the pineapple, mango, tomatoes, green onions, cilantro, lime juice and pineapple juice. Stir to combine and season with salt and pepper.

Heat an electric griddle or skillet over medium heat. Add a bit of olive oil.

One at a time, place a tortilla down in the skillet, cover with a bit of the cheese, then evenly distribute the rice on top. Add the diced chicken, pineapple and onions. Then add the pickled jalapeños and sprinkle with a little more cheese. Repeat with 3 more tortillas. Place one of the tortillas with the toppings back on the griddle or skillet, then cover with a plain tortilla. Cook until the bottom is crispy and golden brown, then gently flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes until crispy and golden. Repeat with the other 3 topping filled tortillas. Serve with the remaining BBQ sauce the the Pineapple-Mango Guacamole.